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Arthur Pendragon
Skills Arthur Pendragon is Camelot’s ultimate killing machine. Trained since practically his birth to handle any manner of offensive weapon, Arthur is by no means a novice when it comes to fighting. His preferred weapon of choice is a broadsword, but he is also proficient with a mace, lance, crossbow, spear, log, and anything other blunt object if necessary. Arthur was, until recently Camlot’s reigning jousting champion as an indication of his skills. To prove to himself that he really was worthy of the title, he fought under a false name, donned a disguise and won the tournament based on skill alone. Arthur is also his kingdom’s military leader, so he has skills both in leading men into a fight and being a soldier. He knows how to plan battles and for unexpected counterstrikes. Despite his admittedly pampered home life this means he’s used to surviving in rough situations where one’s bed is the ground and food is little more than what he packs with him before setting out. His constantly dangerous lifestyle has made him good at improvising in a tight situation. While his strength is by no means super human, it's still above average. Years of hard work and exercise have paid off for him. He can carry roughly his own weight over his shoulder if necessary. Arthur also has a very business like approach to blood and gore. He was exposed to it at a very young age and doesn't even bat an eye when it comes to a killing blow or a gruesome corpse. *He's also skilled at horseback riding. While Arthur might be one of the most skilled warriors in his kingdom, he's still only human. He's susceptible to illness an injury, perhaps even more so than the average person. He seems to have a magnetic attraction to life threatening situations. He also has a bit of a hero complex; a trait that can be one of his greatest weakness. Personality Arthur was born of magic to begin with, a fact that remains steadfastly hidden from him both for the sake of his mental stability and due to his father's brainwashing. Brainwashing, for lack of a better word, is something that has been a part of Arthur's life since he was born. He was raised to believe that magic was a thing of evil, under false pretenses, by his father. His mother is a more delicate matter. Arthur was never able to meet her because she died giving birth to him, and his father never speaks about her. Arthur that the memory of her is too painful for him. The combination of these facts has haunted him through most of his life. Arthur blames himself for his mother's death and is more or less convinced that his father does too. To the world at large Arthur appears to be little more than a product of the environment he was raised in. He was trained to kill and fight since he was old enough to hold a sword which forced him to shoulder much more responsibility than the average child. Not to mention his studies and training to be a prince and inevitably future king took away from his time to enjoy the perks of simply being a kid. While it forced him to mature quickly, it is also a large part of the reason he tends to act childishly towards others. All of that aside, Arthur isn't exactly a saint. He was raised in an environment where people waited on him hand and foot. People respected and feared him based solely on his lineage. With that sort of upbringing, it should come as no surprise that Arthur became a spoiled prince that can border on the arrogant side of the spectrum. He has certain expectations of people; a belief in a natural order to things. He tries his best to learn from his mistakes, and to work towards not being as judgmental when it comes to people of different classes as his father is, but he's still learning. Arthur also has an, at times, crippling sense of pride. He believes the Pendragon name is something to be proud of and doesn't take insults to it lightly. It doesn't help matters, that beneath the cocky attitude he presents to the world, lies a swirling mass of insecurities. Arthur believes he is his father's biggest disappointment for starters. While his father had recently reassured him that he wasn't, the doubt has been there long enough. He also worries constantly that he won't be the king that Camelot needs or deserves. He worries that in general people will always compare him to someone else which is a contributing factor to his competitive streak. It's also one of the main reasons he's so easily offended. He also has a low sense of self worth. He doesn't have a death wish by any means; he's actually reaaally fond of living. It's just that he values other people's live much more than his own. He would gladly give up his own if it would save anyone else's or ensure the safety of his people. He values his people above all else. Despite his desire to make his father proud, Arthur has firm ideas about right and wrong and isn't afraid to stand up for what he believes in. It has, at times, pitted him against his own father. He doesn't believe in backing down, even if it means breaking a law or two. He's willing to, and has before, spend a few nights in a cell if it means doing what he believes is right. He likes to think his father welcomes this trait. Arthur doesn't trust people easily. All his life he's been surrounded by people who are either forced to be with him due to his title and will say what they think he wants to hear or by people who curse the Pendragon name for crimes he wasn't even aware of. He's been nearly killed more times than he can count for reasons he doesn't always comprehend. Consequently, Arthur can count his true friends on one hand: Sire Leon, Morgana, Lancelot, Merlin and Guinevere. In fact, he had never had a real friend until his father forced him to take a stubborn, insulting, outspoken boy as his personal servant. He didn't even realize he was a friend for a while. He certainly insulted him enough to make things confusing. It's one thing to get along with the people your father pays to protect him; honorable men who would lay down their lives for him. It was another thing to for someone to be willing to lay down their life because they liked him. Due to his limited number of past friends, Arthur is sometimes awkward in social situations. He generally doesn't mind being teased, and is more than willing to do his own fair share of it. In fact, he tends to let the people he cares about get away with more than he should when it comes to insults and criticism. He also has a tendency to take things too far with his own teasing. Matters of the heart are a tricky subject for Arthur. His warrior lifestyle coupled with his princely duties didn't give him much time to explore that area. Of course there were a few harmless crushes for him growing up, and a bit of flirting with Morgana during their teenage years, but he'd never (willingly) been in love before. There was the occasional enchantment placed on him to make him believe he was in love, but in general he finds most of the girls in Camelot and neighboring kingdoms to be too dull for his tastes. Then Guinevere came and made everything. . .sort of fuzzy. She makes him want to be a better king, but more importantly she makes him want to be a better man. She knows how to say things so that they're not just insulting, but really make him think. Unfortunately his father would never approve of his having a relationship with a servant. A fact that Arthur reluctantly accepted while at the same time planned for the day when he would be king and able to change things. He's incredibly insecure about things when it comes her, having never had to work hard to impress a girl before. It doesn't help matters any that he's convinced she's in love with Lancelot, a man who's his opposite in nearly every way. Appearance Arthur is an Oscar Wildean dream realized. He's a tall young man, standing at 6 feet, with an athletic build earned through years of training and battle. His chest and shoulders are both broad, and he holds himself with the relaxed air of nobility and the confidence of a man who is used to being desirable. His dirty blond hair is shaggy and falls just below his ears. He has bright blue eyes and a strong jawline. Contrary to wait his title might imply, he has rough skinned hands, worn from years of handling a sword and lance. Arthur's wardrobe consists largely of simple things. He feels most comfortable in clothing that can easily fought in, no matter what the occasion. He wears leather jerkins, tunics and rich colored travelling cloaks. His color of choice is red: the color of Camelot, the color of the Pendragon house. Every so often he can be seen wearing blues or browns, but the odds of finding him in something red are high. He constantly wears a sword belt with his scabbard and ring of keys to all the doors in the castle attached, and brown knee length leather boots. Relationships * Guinevere - confusing, love interest * Merlin - best friend, servant *Gwaine - good friend, one of his guards *Hiccup Haddock - friend *Claire Bennet - acquaintance *Alex de Lange - enemy *Kitty Pride - reluctant friend *Robb Stark - friend, gaurd *Alice Liddel - acquaintance *Sebastian Yarrick - friend, trusted advisor *Riza Hawkeye - acquaintance *Roy Mustang - acquaintance *Mikhail Bakunin - acquaintance *Train Hartnet - acquaintance *Mindy Macready - acquaintance History Arthur's birth was both a blessing and a curse. His mother Ygraine could not produce an heir for Uther, and so the king sought out a powerful sorcerer: Nimueh. She promised him a son, but to obtain something of equal value must be lost: a life for a life. Ygraine's life was taken moments after giving birth to her son. Uther not knowing the price he would pay, outlawed magic after that, and began a purging of all magic kind that lasted for nearly ten years. Arthur likewise was naturally raised to hate and fear all things magical. He was raised in the castle in Camelot, taught from an early age the manners of court life, how to read and write, basic studies, and most importantly how to fight. From the moment he was old enough he was given a sword and a teacher. His father had been a great warrior, and he strove to live up to the expectations of the king. He wanted to be allowed to go out with the knights, and fight their enemies like a man, but he father refused to allow him until he was old enough. When he was 15 years old he was allowed out on his first "mission". His father wanted a village investigated under suspicion of harboring a fugitive from a nearby kingdom. When they arrived, they met with 8 warriors from Cenred's kingdom. It had been a trap, but instead of being overwhelmed by the warrior's Arthur lead his men to victory, slaying three of them himself in the fight. From then on his father looked to him first when it came to keeping the peace and searching out potential threats. When he was 16 he entered his first tournament. Naturally he won and became Camelot's reigning champion. After that he was put in charge of the Knights of Camelot, training all knew comers to be the very best of the best. Their final challenge for knighthood became lasting a minute against him in combat with a sword. With the exception of one man, Lancelot, none have managed to beat him, but enough managed to not pass out for the duration to create a fine group of knights. Things were great for the young prince; he had money, power, and a reputation some men would kill for. He had few friends, loyal men willing to give their lives for him in battle, and then a stupid young man came along. A man foolish enough to insult him and then pick a fight with him. The man who had soon after saved his life and, in turn, become his manservant: Merlin. During the following year he found himself being tested in ways he never imagined possible: magical creatures, seductive enchantresses bent on sacrificing him for immortality, guardians of unicorns, questing beasts, and the iron will of his father. Through it all Arthur begrudgingly came to view Merlin as a trusted servant, and if they had been born on the same social level he might have considered Merlin a friend. It was in his second year of friendship with his servant, that things began to get complicated for the young prince. He discovered that his knights felt they'd been letting him win his tournaments all these years: no one wanted to be the one to unhorse the future king. So Arthur devised a plan to hide himself within Camelot, find a man to play the part of a visiting knight for all the parts requiring his helmet to be taken off while he did all the hard parts. His plane required him to stay with Guinevere, the only person they could trust not to reveal his identity to anyone. Over the next few days, she gave him a reevaluation of himself. Apparently he was rude, selfish, self centered and had no manners at all! The strangest part of all was that he found himself agreeing with her, and admitted that he was trying to change his behavior. . .slowly. Just about then, Merlin ran in to inform him that an assassin was in Camelot to try to kill him. By the time his final joust came, she confronted him one last time. This time she had a favor for him to wear for good luck in the tournament. Without thinking, he had leaned in and kissed her before quickly hurrying off for his last competition. The assassin had managed to make his way into the tournament under the guise of Sir William. Arthur was grievously wounded by a spear head stuck to the end of his lance, but managed to beat him in the tournament anyway, proving to himself that he had managed to win the other fights based on his skill alone. After he'd made a "return" to Camelot, he realized his feelings for Gwen would have to be put aside: his father would never allow anything to come of it. Shortly thereafter Morgana was kidnapped by the druids and Arthur led a troop of his knights after them to return her to Camelot. He ran into the little druid boy Mordred whom he'd once helped escape his father's wrath. He brought Morgana back safe and sound. It seemed she attracted just as much trouble as he did though. While she and Gwen were out riding, they were ambushed by Hengist's men to use as hostages. Morgana managed to escape but Gwen wasn't as lucky. Arthur tried to get his father to let him lead a troop of men in to rescue her, but his father had felt a servant was easily replaced. Arthur packed his things, dragged Merlin along for the ride and set off for Hengist's. It was a long journey, fraught with danger. He and Merlin had to sneak passed Wildern's and break into Hengist's fortress. They'd arrived just in the nick of time, too. Guinevere and Lancelot were about to be eaten by one of those beasts! Arthur scaled the cage, cut heir bonds and together he and Lancelot fought of the creature. The escape was easy enough after that, but little else was. While not always the most perceptive, Arthur could pick up on what was right before his eyes. It was so obviously a blind man could have seen it. Lancelot and Guinevere cared for each other. It was more than that, he was almost certain they loved each other. He couldn't compete with that, and why should he? Lancelot could return her feelings without any repercussions, they wouldn't have to hide. Lancelot had always been the better man in every way. Bitterly he began the treck back to Camelot, explaining that the only reason he'd come in the first place was because Morgana had begged him to. Lancelot left them in the middle of the night however and left the three of them to make their way back alone. Things passes without change for a while until they were paid a visit by an old friend of his father: the Lady Katrina. She managed to weasel her way into his father's affections. She actually married him and went about setting up new, ridiculous laws and taxes. She had Merlin chased out of Camelot despite his protestations, and when he refused to enforce these new laws, his father disinherited him. He named Lady Katrina his new heir to the throne. At the coronation ceremony, it became abundantly clear that something was off about her. She was without a doubt. . .a troll. Still his father was smitten by her. That night, Merlin revealed he'd been inside the castle the whole time and that he and Gaius had discovered a way to break his father's enchantment. It would require him to take a potion that would give him the appearance of death. . .also it could kill him if the antidote wasn't administered in time. Which was a nice bit of information to have. Still he took it, for the good of the kingdom. When he father found him dead in his room and wept, the spell was broken. Merlin brought him the antidote and once he'd woken up, he killed Katrina and her servant. Things calmed down slightly after that. In fact, he'd even gotten back onto good terms with Guinevere, and then the witchfinder was called into Camelot. Someone had spotted a wizard near the edge of town blatantly practicing magic. The witchfinder was called in to weed out the sorcerer, only he made a fatal mistake. He placed the blame on Gaius. Arthur didn't really believe he'd done it, and even allowed Merlin to visit him in the dungeons against his father's wishes. When the time came for Gaius to be burned at the stake for crimes he hadn't committed, Gwen and Merlin convinced him that they had proof of Gaius's innocence. He presented his servant to his father and had his men search the witchfinder's quarters for proof of his lies. They found several items used to frame innocents over the years, but before he could force the man to answer for his crimes, he tripped over the carpet and fell out of the tower window, plummeting to his death. It was shortly thereafter that the black chords of Pandora wrapped around him and dragged him into the darkness. Pandora History